COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Reviewing major weather events that have affected central Ohio in the past 150 years, and choosing the 11 most impactful in honor of Storm Team 4 being the “Most Accurate” in central Ohio for the 11th straight year, required evaluating both human and financial losses.
Ohio sits in the path of weather systems tracking east in a broad westerly jet stream pattern. This sets up a pathway for intensifying low pressure to tap ample Gulf moisture, while drawing cold air south and warm air north–a potentially volatile mix. Colliding boundaries are typically the focus, or lifting mechanism, for storms that wring out moisture.
In 2024, a record 74 tornadoes were confirmed in Ohio, establishing a new record (the old mark was 62 in 1992). Frequent storm systems traversed the Ohio Valley, putting the Buckeye State in the middle of the action.
The clash of seasons, placing cold and warm air in proximity, is responsible for severe weather outbreaks of all kinds. The science factor is density: cold air is heavier and undercuts warm air. The overlap of strong winds aloft feeding off the temperature contrast often sets the stage for the development of a major storm system.
There have certainly been many more events that I considered for this list, but the primary focus was on the degree of impact and disruption of lives in central Ohio.
The top 11 weather events that I selected for a daylong look at extreme weather events in Ohio were responsible for widespread property destruction and/or extreme hardship, and in most cases, tragically, the loss of life.
- March 25-26, 1913: Great Ohio Flood
- June 29, 2012: Derecho
- January 26, 1978: Blizzard of 1978
- April 3, 1974: Xenia Tornado Outbreak
- Sept 5, 2008: Hurricane Ike Windstorm
- November 25, 1950: The Blizzard Bowl
- April 11-12, 1965: Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak
- March 7-8, 2008: Greatest Columbus Snowstorm
- May 27-28, 2019: Memorial Day Tornado Outbreak
- February 28 and March 14, 2024: Late Winter Tornado Outbreak
- June 2019: Agricultural Floods
Storm Team 4 is certified ‘Most Accurate’ 11 years in a row
It’s official, Storm Team 4 continues to deliver the “Most Accurate” forecast, now 11 years in a row.
According to WeatheRate, an independent weather research company, NBC4’s Storm Team 4 led central Ohio television stations in forecast accuracy.
WeatheRate uses patented software to compare the forecast of local stations with actual observed conditions. TV stations with the best daily, weekly and monthly accuracy are determined mathematically. Every March, a seal of approval is awarded to the TV station that provides the most accurate weather forecasts in each WeatheRate City.
Viewers who want central Ohio’s Most Accurate forecast in the palm of their hand can download the Storm Team 4 Weather App.